Villagers walk past flood-damaged homes at Bashi village, in Begusarai district, in the northern Indian state of Bihar, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007. Devastating monsoon floods have laid waste to much of South... (Associated Press)

(Newser)
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Nearly 500 people have died in Bangladesh as devastating floods hit the low-lying country in recent weeks, Reuters reports. 38 died last night, including two from water-borne diseases that have sickened thousands more. Flood waters have receded, but millions remain homeless. "They hardly have a roof on their heads or anything to eat," an official said.

More than 53,000 people have contracted diarrhea from eating stale food and drinking unclean water, leaving the country's government scrambling to keep pace. A center in Dhaka, the capital, to treat diarrhea diseases admitted a record number of patients yesterday, one official said. "The overall diarrhea situation is grim. We are trying to cope with it."